No. 1 Uconn 85, Providence 61

Diana Taurasi had 20 points and was 8-for-11 from the field, her best shooting game since lighting up Tennessee for 32 points Jan. 5.

Deciding Factor

Turnovers, turnovers and turnovers. Providence committed 35, easily the season high for a UConn opponent. The previous high was 26 by Cal State Northridge Dec. 27. The Huskies had 18 steals and scored 41 points off turnovers, also season highs. The Friars coughed it up 10 times in the first eight minutes while attempting only four shots.

Play Of The Game

Catrina Hawley-Stewart, a senior forward from West Haven, made a layup with 3:54 left. Why so special? It gave Providence more field goal attempts (36) than turnovers (35) for the first time in the game.

Not In The Box Score

The air was a little heavy at tiny Alumni Hall. It was the second straight road game in which the Huskies experienced a greenhouse effect. Part of the reason was the unusually large amount of body heat being generated in the 46-year-old building. The crowd of 2,574 -- 46 below capacity -- was the largest for a women's game at Alumni Hall since UConn last played there, in February 1997.

Of Note

Taurasi shot great. Rebounding was a different matter. She had none, which had coach Geno Auriemma scratching his head. ``If I took my daughter and put her out there, one would land in her lap accidentally, right?'' Auriemma said in mock disgust. ``I was into boxing out today,'' Taurasi said. It was the third rebound-less game in Taurasi's career, the first since Jan. 27, 2001, against Syracuse. Providence outrebounded UConn, 33-32.